Mumbai Police

If there’s a house of cinema that knows how to deliver thrillers it has to be Malayalam cinema. I tend to stumble across them knowing nothing about what to expect and always come out rewarded. With Mumbai Police I wasn’t as clueless as I usually am because the raving reviews from critics and audiences alike had me prepared for some serious twists and turns.

Prithviraj endorses the noble khakee uniform yet again in Rosshan Andrrews suspense thriller/cop drama which also stars Jayasurya and Rahman. The story is of one Mr Antony Moses (Prithvi) who on the brink of cracking open the murder case of his friend Aryan (Jayasurya) encounters an accident. As a result he suffers partial memory loss. The story is about Antony solving the case again and of course rediscovering his life, those around him, and he himself again.It truly is refreshing watching a thriller where the maker doesn’t shy away from the genre, forces no lame comedy or song sequences and sticks to the task at hand. Rosshan Andrrews talks business throughout the duration of the film and doesn’t take a breather. What does however happen is a slowing of pace at various portions. A more vigarious editing approach was definitely needed especially in the second half where certain things are repeated way too many times i.e. Aryan’s final video with the practice acceptance speech is something you’re made to watch at least 3 times. At the same time the film has some very effective and efficiently portrayed portions such as the first opening scene where the shot goes from that of the scene of the accident, to that of Farhan trying to get Antony acquainted with the life he’s now forgotten. There’s no hospital drama or dragged out filmi doctor’s-speech sequence when his condition is revealed, a trap that the film could have easily fallen into.

No doubt the highlight of the film is the double impact climax. Rosshan Andrrews takes a leap and a risk with the final twist. No one knew if the audience was ready for it but the success of the film shows that when done with integrity and for the right reasons, the audiences will accept. He refrains from making the issue at hand preachy and makes no political grand statements. It is treated merely as a means to an end. Whilst the first revelation towards the climax comes unexpectedly (that is if you’ve not heard about it already), the second one is rather predictable.

As you may have read time and time again Prithviraj has indeed taken a step that many actors at this point in their career would not have. And kudos to him for doing that. Whilst he’s not 100% comfortable in scenes that reveal his character’s identity, he makes a decent attempt. Antony’s character has perhaps streaks of grey which he tackles well. Usually not one to overtly succeed with emotional scenes but here he did impress in the post revelation sequence. Jayasurya for me is always a pleasure to watch on screen. Although the role is nothing too out of this world, its definitely one that he executes flawlessly. Rahman has a silent but strong presence in the film.

Mumbai Police re-enforces in a much stronger way than imagined that Malayalam cinema sets the standard of thrillers in Indian cinema. The maturity and integrity with which the film is made makes it special. They are no underlying agendas or preachy philosophies, all of which could have very easily been incorporated into the film. Its a pure unadulterated thrilling ride designed to keep you glued to your seat for its duration and to keep you guessing till the very end.

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About Me

Prathna or Sakhi - love child of cinema and the law. Law student by day, photography/writer by night and cinema enthusiast for life. Pretty much as filmi as they come. A 90s child who wishes she can time travel to the days of Sunil Shetty dancing to kya ada kya jawle and Salman Khan's judwaa act. The experience of watching a film isn't over until I write about it hence the blog. To know more head over to my Twitter profile (@sakhispeaks).